Many committed their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to build the foundations of freedom we have inherited. It is essential for students to understand this crucial period in our nation's history so they can fulfill their duty today, understand how our government is structured, and help preserve our freedom for future generations. In this full-color book filled with illustrations and images, students will: ¢¢Learn about the War of Independence through the Constitution in this chronological, 34-week daily study ¢¢Explore the lives of those who dared to oppose the most powerful military on earth with the most powerful words and principles put to paper ¢¢Discover in-depth character comments, explanations of providential occurrences, founder's quotes, poetry from the time period, and more!

• A New Republic Best Book of the Year • The Globalist Top Books of the Year • Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction Particularly relevant in understanding who voted for who during presidential elections, this is an endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and the eleven “nations” that continue to shape North America According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of any hotly contested election in our history.

Thirty years after her death in March 1982, Ayn Rand's ideas have never been more important. In "Ayn Rand Nation," Weiss explores the people and institutions that continue to be heavily influenced by Rand's work, particularly in the current political and economic climate.

This Timeline of the Revolution (Teacher Guide) contains materials for use with the America's Struggle to Become a Nation (Student) Teacher GuideWeekly Lesson ScheduleStudent WorksheetsQuizzes & TestAnswer Key4th - 6th grade1 Year History Features: Each suggested weekly schedule has two easy-to-manage lessons that combine reading, worksheets, and vocabulary-building opportunities. Worksheets, quizzes, and tests are perforated and three-hole punched — materials are easy to tear out, hand out, grade, and store. Adjust the schedule and materials needed to best work within your educational program. Space is given for assignments dates. There is flexibility in scheduling. Adapt the days to your school schedule. Workflow: Students will read the pages in their book and then complete each section of the Teacher Guide. They should be encouraged to complete as many of the activities and projects as possible as well. Tests are given at regular intervals with space to record each grade. If used with younger students, they may be given the option of only choosing activities or projects of interest to them and taking open book tests. Lesson Scheduling: Space is given for assignment dates. There is flexibility in scheduling. For example, the parent may opt for a M–W schedule rather than a M, W, F schedule. Each week listed has four to five days. Adapt the days to your school schedule. As the student completes each assignment, he/she should put an “X” in the box.

The author of American Nations examines the history of and solutions to the key American question: how best to reconcile individual liberty with the maintenance of a free society The struggle between individual rights and the good of the community as a whole has been the basis of nearly every major disagreement in our history, from the debates at the Constitutional Convention and in the run up to the Civil War to the fights surrounding the agendas of the Federalists, the Progressives, the New Dealers, the civil rights movement, and the Tea Party. In American Character, Colin Woodard traces these two key strands in American politics through the four centuries of the nation’s existence, from the first colonies through the Gilded Age, Great Depression and the present day, and he explores how different regions of the country have successfully or disastrously accommodated them. The independent streak found its most pernicious form in the antebellum South but was balanced in the Gilded Age by communitarian reform efforts; the New Deal was an example of a successful coalition between communitarian-minded Eastern elites and Southerners. Woodard argues that maintaining a liberal democracy, a society where mass human freedom is possible, requires finding a balance between protecting individual liberty and nurturing a free society. Going to either libertarian or collectivist extremes results in tyranny. But where does the “sweet spot” lie in the United States, a federation of disparate regional cultures that have always strongly disagreed on these issues? Woodard leads readers on a riveting and revealing journey through four centuries of struggle, experimentation, successes and failures to provide an answer. His historically informed and pragmatic suggestions on how to achieve this balance and break the nation’s political deadlock will be of interest to anyone who cares about the current American predicament—political, ideological, and sociological.

When originally published in 1999, Words That Built a Nation was hailed for bringing together the United States’ most important historical essays, speeches, and documents into one accessible collection for kids. Now, this history lovers’ must-have is back, and it’s been revised, revamped, and expanded for the 21st century. From the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, the updated collection preserves the documents of the first edition and introduces the landmark statements that are impacting our nation today. With all new illustrations, a refreshed design, and complementary background information behind each of the documents, Words That Built a Nation is the ultimate tour of United States history, created to engage, inspire, and equip kids with the knowledge they need to change and shape their world. “This book is attractive and the presentation engaging.”—School Library Journal

Emphasizing the role of kinship, labor, and networks in the African American community, the author retraces six generations of black struggles since the end of the Civil War, revealing a "nation" under construction.